Derek Marks and Peter Eshenfelder arrived at the same time to the Mitchell College men’s lacrosse program in 2011, and the timing couldn’t have been better.

Since the program’s inception in 2007, the Mariners — or Pequots, as they had been known to start — had a combined 4-37 record through the 2010 season.

Marks signed on as coach prior to the 2011 season, and discovered that a freshman transfer from Mt. Ida College expressed interest in joining the team as goaltender. Marks’ and Eshenfelder’s arrival coincided with one of the great turnarounds in Mitchell athletics history, when one year after a 2-10 mark the Mariners advanced to the Eastern College Athletic Championship game and finished with a 9-4 record.

“To be honest, he’d come in and he was an average-to-good goalie then,” Marks said Wednesday prior to his team’s game against Husson College. “This is his third year as a starter, so he’s seen his time and has done a great job for us.”

Eshenfelder has continued a steady presence in the defense through the past three seasons. He has a 8.92 goals-against average over five games and a 54.5 save percentage. His 54 saves rank second overall in the New England Collegiate Conference.

Earlier this week, the Quaker Hill native and Waterford High School graduate became the first Mariners player to be recognized by the NECC when he was named the Player of the Week.

Of course, this is the first year the conference carried men’s lacrosse, but it’s an honor nonetheless. Eshenfelder, ever the laid-back athlete, just shrugged his shoulders when asked about it.

“Coach has done a good job bringing better players in here, and that’s helped me,” he said. “(I’m) just understanding the defense more. ... I’m pretty unorthodox. I kind of do my own thing. You see some goalies out there with crazy styles, but I just sit back there and wait for the shot.”

Eshenfelder’s prowess in the net must make Marks giddy. After all, Marks was an all-state defensive middie 10 years ago as a student at East Lyme High School.

“He’s constantly a leader in the cage,” Marks said. “He’s basically the quarterback of our defense, an on-field coach. He makes sure his guys are always on point and working together.”

Marks said Eshenfelder is not the loudest person off the field. On the field, though, Eshenfelder acts like a hockey goalie — he loves that sport — by constantly communicating to his defenders where they need to be.

Knowing that he has someone on whom to count as the last line of defense makes Marks’ job easier, too, both in coaching and recruiting.

“Here, we’re trying to recruit some not only athletic, but also guys with some size as well,” Marks said. “You look across the board, we’ve got defenders who are 6-(foot-)2, 6-3, 6-6, so they’re all decent-sized kids who are athletic, hard-working, grind-it-out guys that we’re looking for.”

Page 2 of 2 - Eshenfelder said the proximity to home did play a role in him coming to Mitchell — there are six Waterford High grads, including Eshenfelder, on the roster, along with three Fitch High, two East Lyme High and one St. Bernard alumni — and that played a role in his blossoming as a student and athlete.

“I know a bunch of my buddies were here, so why not?” he said. “Turns out it was a good choice.”

Prior to Wednesday’s game — a 10-9 overtime loss — Eshenfelder took it easy, which belied the heavy presence of eye black on his face.

“I make one big save, and I’m ready to go,” he said. “The hard thing is getting that first save.”